Mail bot and mailing list detection

ABSTRACT

An embodiment of the invention may include a method, computer program product, and system for detecting email messages sent from an automated mailing system. The embodiment may include analyzing email metadata of a user to detect an indication of automation. The embodiment may include identifying any email messages sent corresponding to the pattern of automation. The embodiment may include performing an action in response to the identified email messages.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to a system for managing electronic mail(“email”) received by a user, and more specifically, to identifyingmessages received from mail-bots and messages received as a result frombeing on a mailing lists.

Email is a means for exchanging, across computer networks (e.g. theInternet), digital messages between users of digital devices, such ascomputers and mobile phones. Today's email systems are based on astore-and-forward model. Email servers accept, forward, deliver, andstore messages. An email client is a computer program used to access andmanage a user's email through the use of a mail transfer agent (“MTA”)program which may be hosted on the email server. Email can be stored onthe client side, the server side, or in both places.

BRIEF SUMMARY

An embodiment of the invention may include a method, computer programproduct, and system for detecting email messages sent from an automatedmailing system. The embodiment may include analyzing email metadata of auser to detect an indication of automation. The embodiment may includeidentifying any email messages sent corresponding to the pattern ofautomation. The embodiment may include performing an action in responseto the identified email messages.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a bot/mailing list detectionsystem, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the operations of the bot/mailinglist detection program of FIG. 1, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram depicting the hardware components of thephysical condition detection system of FIG. 1, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 depicts a cloud computing environment in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 depicts abstraction model layers in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The presence of automated mailing systems, such as mail-bots and mailinglists, is becoming more commonplace. A mail-bot is a software program inan email server that is typically used to automatically send outpre-defined email. Mail-bots may be used to facilitate the practice ofsending unwanted email messages, frequently with commercial content, inlarge quantities to an indiscriminate set of recipients (i.e. emailspamming). This practice has grown considerably since the mid-1990s andtoday accounts for a majority of emails sent worldwide. Additionally,corporate entities may utilize mail bots within their email systems forcertain internal communications. A mailing list utilizes email forwidespread distribution of information to users whose email is on themailing list. As with mail-bots, mailing lists can be used for spammingpurposes and for legitimate business purposes. Whether the use ofautomated mailing systems is for malicious purposes or for officialpurposes, a user may wish to identify messages originating from amail-bot or mailing list in an attempt to manage incoming email messagesand to determine how messages are displayed.

Embodiments of the present invention disclose a bot/mailing listdetection system 100, described below, which provides a method fordetecting and managing email messages originating from mail-bots andmailing lists, by analyzing a single user's email metadata to detectusage patterns of email senders. Bot/mailing list detection system 100determines that a sender who sends a predetermined number of emailmessages within a predetermined period of time, while not having anyemail messages sent to them, is a mail-bot. Furthermore, bot/mailinglist detection system 100 determines that for each email message a userreceives that was not explicitly addressed to that user, any other usersin the addressee fields must either have sent an email message tosomeone or be considered a potential mailing list. In embodiments of thepresent invention, these determinations are based on a single user'semail metadata rather than aggregate email metadata belonging to otherusers. In confining analysis to a single user's email metadata,bot/mailing list detection system 100 avoids possible security andnetwork concerns associated with requiring access to email databelonging to other users. Once mail-bots and mailing lists have beendetermined, bot/mailing list detection system 100 may identify emailmessages sent from a mail-bot or resulting from a mailing list and allowthe user to determine how those email messages are handled and changehow data relating to those identified email messages is displayed.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detailwith reference to the accompanying Figures.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating bot/mailing listdetection system 100, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. In an example embodiment, bot/mailing list detection system100 may include network 110, email server 120, and computing device 130.

In various embodiments, network 110 may be implemented as, for example,a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN) such as theInternet, or a combination of the two. Network 110 may include, forexample, wired, wireless or fiber optic connections. In general, network110 may be any combination of connections and protocols that willsupport communications between computing device 130 and email server120, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Email server 120 may include email transfer program 122. In variousembodiments, email server 120 may be a desktop computer, a notebook, alaptop computer, a networked computer appliance, or any other networkedelectronic device or computing system capable of sending and receivingemail messages to and from other computing devices such as computingdevice 130, via network 110. Furthermore, email server 120 may host amail transfer agent program (e.g. email transfer program 122) tofacilitate the transfer of email messages between computing devices. Inan example embodiment, email server 120 utilizes a mail transfer agentprogram to send email messages to computing device 130. Email server 120is described in more detail with reference to FIG. 3.

Email transfer program 122 represents a commercially available, opensource, or proprietary mail transfer agent program. Email transferprogram 122 may be a software application or configuration in a softwareapplication operating to transfer electronic mail messages from onecomputing device to another using a client-server applicationarchitecture. Email transfer program 122 may be located on email server120. In an example embodiment, email transfer program 122 receives andsends, via network 110, email messages from and to client email program132 located on computing device 130.

Computing device 130 may include client email program 132. Computingdevice 130 may be a desktop computer, a notebook, a laptop computer, atablet computer, a handheld device, a smart-phone, a thin client, or anyother electronic device or computing system capable of sending andreceiving data to and from other computing devices such as email server120, via network 110, and capable of supporting the functionalityrequired of embodiments of the invention. Computing device 130 isdescribed in more detail with reference to FIG. 3.

Client email program 132 may include bot/mailing list detection program134. Client email program 132 represents a commercially available, opensource, or proprietary email client program that includes the mail-botand mailing list detection functionality represented by bot/mailing listdetection program 134. In an example embodiment, Client email program132 includes typical email functionality, such as the creation, sending,and receiving of email messages to and from email server 120 via network110. In addition to the typical email functionality, client emailprogram 132 also includes functionality for detection of mail-bots andmailing lists.

Bot/mailing list detection program 134 operates to detect mail-bots andmailing lists in accordance with embodiments of the bot/mailing listdetection system of FIG. 1. Bot/mailing list detection program 134 maybe a software application or configuration in a software applicationcapable of analyzing a user's email metadata. In an example embodiment,bot/mailing list detection program 134 may detect any mail-bots and/ormailing lists, based on a user's received email messages from senders.Bot/mailing list detection program 134 may also identify email messagesfrom, or as a result of, detected mail-bots and detected mailing lists.Furthermore, in an example embodiment, bot/mailing list detectionprogram 134 may allow the user to take action regarding any detectedmail-bots and/or mailing lists and any identified email messages. Theoperations and functions of bot/mailing list detection program 134 aredescribed in further detail below with regard to FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 shows a flowchart illustrating the operations of bot/mailing listdetection program 134 in accordance with an example embodiment of theinvention. Referring to step S210, bot/mailing list detection program134 may analyze email metadata within a user's mailfile to observe theusage patterns of email message senders. In particular, bot/mailing listdetection program 134 may track one or more address fields (e.g. To,From, CC, BCC), the date field, and any other field in an email headerto determine if a sender's email usage pattern is indicative of anautomated mailing system, such as a mail-bot or mailing list. A sender'semail usage pattern may encompass information pertaining toidentification of one or more recipients of the sender's email messages,email message dates/times, and information concerning any email messagesreceived by the sender. The analysis may query the user's email metadataor iterate over the user's email metadata. For example, bot/mailing listdetection program 134 may have access to the user's email metadataencompassing all of the user's email messages, stored on computingdevice 130, from the past month. Bot/mailing list detection program 134may then iterate over all the senders of email messages, that have sentmore than a predetermined number of email messages, and see if they werea recipient on any email messages; if not, bot/mailing list detectionprogram 134 may suspect the sender as a mail-bot. The analysis performedby bot/mailing list detection program 134 is confined to the emailmetadata belonging solely to the user and does not aggregate multipleusers' email metadata. In an example embodiment, bot/mailing listdetection program 134 accesses and analyzes the email metadata belongingto the current user of client email program 132 to look for indicationsof automation within patterns of email usage by email message senderswhich may expose a mail-bot or the use of a mailing list.

Referring to step S220, bot/mailing list detection program 134interprets the analyzed email metadata belonging to the user todetermine if a mail-bot or mailing list is present. Bot/mailing listdetection program 134 defines a mail-bot based on a usage pattern wherean email message sender sends more than a threshold number of emailmessages within a predetermined period of time (e.g. a few weeks to afew months), while not having received a threshold number of emailmessages. Furthermore, bot/mailing list detection program 134 determinesthat for each email message the user received that was not explicitlyaddressed to the user, any one or more other users in the addresseefields must either have sent one or more email messages to someone or beidentified as a mailing list. While the user's email metadata containsinformation tracking any email messages sent or received between theuser and the sender, the user's email metadata may also containinformation passively tracking any email messages sent or receivedbetween other users and the sender. For example, in an email thread,where the user may be passively observing email messages between thesender and other users. In an example embodiment, bot/mailing listdetection program 134 determines that a sender of email messages to theuser of client email program 132 is a mail-bot based on the user's emailmetadata tracking email message address fields within the past month andshowing the sender as having sent more than a threshold number of emailmessages within the past month, while not receiving a threshold numberof email messages during the past month. Consequently, bot/mailing listdetection program 134 may classify, within the user's mailfile only, thesender as a mail-bot.

Referring to step S230, bot/mailing list detection program 134 mayidentify email messages originating from a mail-bot or resulting from amailing list. Bot/mailing list detection program 134 may also identifyand display, to the user, the sender who has been classified as amail-bot, as well as any email messages from that sender. Furthermore,bot/mailing list detection program 134 may display, to the user, anyother user identified as a mailing list, as well as any email messagesresulting from the identified mailing list. Moreover, bot/mailing listdetection program 134 may also display one or more predefined actionsthe user may take, in response to the displayed information, which mayaffect how email messages from the sender are managed and/or displayed.In an example embodiment, bot/mailing list detection program 134identifies email messages sent from the sender classified as a mail-botin step S220 and displays to the user the name of the sender, a listingof any emails received from that sender, and one or more possibleactions the user may take concerning the email messages from the sender.

Referring to step S240, bot/mailing list detection program 134 mayperform one or more actions in response to the identifications andinformation displayed in step S230. The actions may affect howidentified email messages are managed and/or displayed. For example,bot/mailing list detection program 134 may move identified emailmessages to a folder other than the inbox (e.g. trash/delete, spam, oranother designated folder). In another example, bot/mailing listdetection program 134 may notify the user when email messages from thesender, or from other users identified as a mailing list, arrive. In yetanother example, bot/mailing list detection program 134 may mark allidentified email messages, as well as future email messages, from thesender, or from other users identified as a mailing list, as read.Additionally, in step S240, bot/mailing list detection program 134 mayalso automatically change how the name of the sender, and the useridentified as a mailing list, is displayed within the user's email. Forexample, bot/mailing list detection program 134 may flag the name of thedetected sender, and the user identified as a mailing list, in a manner(e.g. bolded text, colored text, use of graphic) which visuallyindicates, to the user, that they are a mail-bot and mailing list,respectively. As another example, bot/mailing list detection program 134may filter out the detected sender, and the user identified as a mailinglist, from the user's email based on detection/identification alone, orbased on further analysis. As yet another example, bot/mailing listdetection program 134 may group or categorize the sender, and the useridentified as a mailing list, with similar senders and users, asappropriate. Changes in the way the name of a detected sender, and useridentified as a mailing list, is displayed are implemented only in theuser's email program (e.g. client email program 132). For example,although the current user's email (e.g. client email program 132) mayshow the detected sender as a mail-bot, another user's email may not. Inan example embodiment, bot/mailing list detection program 134 moves allidentified email messages from the sender to a spam folder. Furthermore,bot/mailing list detection program 134 has placed a graphic next to thesender's name, within client email program 132, indicating that thesender is a mail-bot.

FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram of components of email server 120 andcomputing device 130, in accordance with an illustrative embodiment ofthe present invention. It should be appreciated that FIG. 3 providesonly an illustration of one implementation and does not imply anylimitations with regard to the environments in which differentembodiments may be implemented. Many modifications to the depictedenvironment may be made.

Email server 120 and computing device 130 include communications fabric902, which provides communications between computer processor(s) 904,memory 906, persistent storage 908, network adapter 912, andinput/output (I/O) interface(s) 914. Communications fabric 902 can beimplemented with any architecture designed for passing data and/orcontrol information between processors (such as microprocessors,communications and network processors, etc.), system memory, peripheraldevices, and any other hardware components within a system. For example,communications fabric 902 can be implemented with one or more buses.

Memory 906 and persistent storage 908 are computer-readable storagemedia. In this embodiment, memory 906 includes random access memory(RAM) 916 and cache memory 918. In general, memory 906 can include anysuitable volatile or non-volatile computer-readable storage media.

The programs client email program 132 and bot/mailing list detectionprogram 134 in computing device 130; and email transfer program 122 inemail server 120 are stored in persistent storage 908 for execution byone or more of the respective computer processors 904 via one or morememories of memory 906. In this embodiment, persistent storage 908includes a magnetic hard disk drive. Alternatively, or in addition to amagnetic hard disk drive, persistent storage 908 can include a solidstate hard drive, a semiconductor storage device, read-only memory(ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, orany other computer-readable storage media that is capable of storingprogram instructions or digital information.

The media used by persistent storage 908 may also be removable. Forexample, a removable hard drive may be used for persistent storage 908.Other examples include optical and magnetic disks, thumb drives, andsmart cards that are inserted into a drive for transfer onto anothercomputer-readable storage medium that is also part of persistent storage908.

Network adapter 912, in these examples, provides for communications withother data processing systems or devices. In these examples, networkadapter 912 includes one or more network interface cards. Networkadapter 912 may provide communications through the use of either or bothphysical and wireless communications links. The programs client emailprogram 132 and bot/mailing list detection program 134 in computingdevice 130; and email transfer program 122 in email server 120 may bedownloaded to persistent storage 908 through network adapter 912.

I/O interface(s) 914 allows for input and output of data with otherdevices that may be connected to email server 120 and computing device130. For example, I/O interface 914 may provide a connection to externaldevices 920 such as a keyboard, keypad, a touch screen, and/or someother suitable input device. External devices 920 can also includeportable computer-readable storage media such as, for example, thumbdrives, portable optical or magnetic disks, and memory cards. Softwareand data used to practice embodiments of the present invention, e.g.,programs client email program 132 and bot/mailing list detection program134 in computing device 130; and email transfer program 122 in emailserver 120, can be stored on such portable computer-readable storagemedia and can be loaded onto persistent storage 908 via I/O interface(s)914. I/O interface(s) 914 can also connect to a display 922.

Display 922 provides a mechanism to display data to a user and may be,for example, a computer monitor.

The programs described herein are identified based upon the applicationfor which they are implemented in a specific embodiment of theinvention. However, it should be appreciated that any particular programnomenclature herein is used merely for convenience, and thus theinvention should not be limited to use solely in any specificapplication identified and/or implied by such nomenclature.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof code, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be notedthat, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in theblock may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, twoblocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantiallyconcurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverseorder, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be notedthat each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, andcombinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchartillustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-basedsystems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations ofspecial purpose hardware and computer instructions.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product at any possible technical detail level of integration.The computer program product may include a computer readable storagemedium (or media) having computer readable program instructions thereonfor causing a processor to carry out aspects of the present invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, configuration data for integrated circuitry, oreither source code or object code written in any combination of one ormore programming languages, including an object oriented programminglanguage such as Smalltalk, C++, or the like, and procedural programminglanguages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programminglanguages. The computer readable program instructions may executeentirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as astand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partlyon a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. Inthe latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user'scomputer through any type of network, including a local area network(LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to anexternal computer (for example, through the Internet using an InternetService Provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including,for example, programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gatearrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays (PLA) may execute thecomputer readable program instructions by utilizing state information ofthe computer readable program instructions to personalize the electroniccircuitry, in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

While steps of the disclosed method and components of the disclosedsystems and environments have been sequentially or serially identifiedusing numbers and letters, such numbering or lettering is not anindication that such steps must be performed in the order recited, andis merely provided to facilitate clear referencing of the method'ssteps. Furthermore, steps of the method may be performed in parallel toperform their described functionality.

It is to be understood that although this disclosure includes a detaileddescription on cloud computing, implementation of the teachings recitedherein are not limited to a cloud computing environment. Rather,embodiments of the present invention are capable of being implemented inconjunction with any other type of computing environment now known orlater developed.

Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling convenient,on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computingresources (e.g., networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing,memory, storage, applications, virtual machines, and services) that canbe rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort orinteraction with a provider of the service. This cloud model may includeat least five characteristics, at least three service models, and atleast four deployment models.

Characteristics are as follows:

On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally provisioncomputing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, asneeded automatically without requiring human interaction with theservice's provider.

Broad network access: capabilities are available over a network andaccessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneousthin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs).

Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are pooled to servemultiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physicaland virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according todemand. There is a sense of location independence in that the consumergenerally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of theprovided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher levelof abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter).

Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and elasticallyprovisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out andrapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilitiesavailable for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can bepurchased in any quantity at any time.

Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and optimizeresource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level ofabstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage,processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can bemonitored, controlled, and reported, providing transparency for both theprovider and consumer of the utilized service.

Service Models are as follows:

Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto use the provider's applications running on a cloud infrastructure.The applications are accessible from various client devices through athin client interface such as a web browser (e.g., web-based e-mail).The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloudinfrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, storage,or even individual application capabilities, with the possible exceptionof limited user-specific application configuration settings.

Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquiredapplications created using programming languages and tools supported bythe provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure including networks, servers, operating systems, orstorage, but has control over the deployed applications and possiblyapplication hosting environment configurations.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided to theconsumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and otherfundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy andrun arbitrary software, which can include operating systems andapplications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage,deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networkingcomponents (e.g., host firewalls).

Deployment Models are as follows:

Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely for anorganization. It may be managed by the organization or a third party andmay exist on-premises or off-premises.

Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by severalorganizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns(e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and complianceconsiderations). It may be managed by the organizations or a third partyand may exist on-premises or off-premises.

Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to the generalpublic or a large industry group and is owned by an organization sellingcloud services.

Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or moreclouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities butare bound together by standardized or proprietary technology thatenables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting forload-balancing between clouds).

A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a focus onstatelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability.At the heart of cloud computing is an infrastructure that includes anetwork of interconnected nodes.

Referring now to FIG. 4, illustrative cloud computing environment 50 isdepicted. As shown, cloud computing environment 50 includes one or morecloud computing nodes 100 with which local computing devices used bycloud consumers, such as, for example, personal digital assistant (PDA)or cellular telephone 54A, desktop computer 54B, laptop computer 54C,and/or automobile computer system 54N may communicate. Nodes 100 maycommunicate with one another. They may be grouped (not shown) physicallyor virtually, in one or more networks, such as Private, Community,Public, or Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove, or a combinationthereof. This allows cloud computing environment 50 to offerinfrastructure, platforms and/or software as services for which a cloudconsumer does not need to maintain resources on a local computingdevice. It is understood that the types of computing devices 54A-N shownin FIG. 4 are intended to be illustrative only and that computing nodes100 and cloud computing environment 50 can communicate with any type ofcomputerized device over any type of network and/or network addressableconnection (e.g., using a web browser).

Referring now to FIG. 5, a set of functional abstraction layers providedby cloud computing environment 50 (FIG. 4) is shown. It should beunderstood in advance that the components, layers, and functions shownin FIG. 10 are intended to be illustrative only and embodiments of theinvention are not limited thereto. As depicted, the following layers andcorresponding functions are provided:

Hardware and software layer 60 includes hardware and softwarecomponents. Examples of hardware components include: mainframes 61; RISC(Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture based servers 62;servers 63; blade servers 64; storage devices 65; and networks andnetworking components 66. In some embodiments, software componentsinclude network application server software 67 and database software 68.

Virtualization layer 70 provides an abstraction layer from which thefollowing examples of virtual entities may be provided: virtual servers71; virtual storage 72; virtual networks 73, including virtual privatenetworks; virtual applications and operating systems 74; and virtualclients 75.

In one example, management layer 80 may provide the functions describedbelow. Resource provisioning 81 provides dynamic procurement ofcomputing resources and other resources that are utilized to performtasks within the cloud computing environment. Metering and Pricing 82provide cost tracking as resources are utilized within the cloudcomputing environment, and billing or invoicing for consumption of theseresources. In one example, these resources may include applicationsoftware licenses. Security provides identity verification for cloudconsumers and tasks, as well as protection for data and other resources.User portal 83 provides access to the cloud computing environment forconsumers and system administrators. Service level management 84provides cloud computing resource allocation and management such thatrequired service levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA) planningand fulfillment 85 provide pre-arrangement for, and procurement of,cloud computing resources for which a future requirement is anticipatedin accordance with an SLA.

Workloads layer 90 provides examples of functionality for which thecloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of workloads andfunctions which may be provided from this layer include: mapping andnavigation 91; software development and lifecycle management 92; virtualclassroom education delivery 93; data analytics processing 94;transaction processing 95; and bot/mailing list detection system 96.Bot/mailing list detection system 96 may relate to detecting automatedmailing systems within a user's mailfile.

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present inventionhave been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intendedto be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Theterminology used herein was chosen to explain the principles of the oneor more embodiments, the practical application or technical improvementover technologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others ofordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments. Variousmodifications, additions, substitutions, and the like will be apparentto those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scopeand spirit of the invention, as defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for detecting email messages sent froman automated mailing system, the method comprising: analyzing emailmetadata of a user to detect an indication of automation, identifyingemail messages sent corresponding to the detected indication ofautomation; and performing an action in response to the identified emailmessages.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the indication ofautomation further comprises: analyzing the user's email metadata todetect a usage pattern of a sender of email messages, wherein the senderof email messages sends a threshold number of email messages to theuser, within a period of time, without receiving a threshold number ofemail messages; and identifying the sender of email messages as amail-bot in response to the detected usage pattern.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, wherein detecting the indication of automation furthercomprises: analyzing the user's email metadata to detect a receivedemail message not explicitly addressed to the user, wherein the receivedemail message not explicitly addressed to the user is received by one ormore other users; identifying the one or more other users as a mailinglist; and adding the identified one or more other users to a group ofmailing lists.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user's emailmetadata consists of: information within a “To” field of one or moreemail messages, information within a “From” field, of the one or moreemail messages, information within a “CC” field, of the one or moreemail messages, information within a “BCC” field, of the one or moreemail messages, and information within a “Date” field, of the one ormore email messages.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the action to beperformed in response to the identified email messages comprises anelement from the group consisting of: moving one or more of theidentified email messages to a specified email folder, marking as readone or more of the identified email messages, deleting one or more ofthe identified email messages, and filtering out one or more of theidentified email messages.
 6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:determining whether the one or more other users in the group of mailinglists has sent email messages to the user; and based on determining thatthe one or more other users in the group mailing lists has sent emailmessages to the user, removing the one or more other users from thegroup of mailing lists.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:providing a visual indication to the user for identified email messages,wherein the visual indication for identified email messages is differentfrom a visual indication for unidentified email messages.
 8. A computerprogram product for detecting email messages sent from an automatedmailing system, the computer program product comprising: one or morecomputer-readable storage devices and program instructions stored on atleast one of the one or more tangible storage devices, the programinstructions comprising: program instructions to analyze email metadataof a user to detect an indication of automation; program instructions toidentify email messages sent corresponding to the detected indication ofautomation; and program instructions to perform an action in response tothe identified email messages.
 9. The computer program product of claim8, wherein detecting the indication of automation further comprises:program instructions to analyze the user's email metadata to detect ausage pattern of a sender of email messages, wherein the sender of emailmessages sends a threshold number of email messages to the user, withina period of time, without receiving a threshold number of emailmessages; and program instructions to identify the sender of emailmessages as a mail-bot in response to the detected usage pattern. 10.The computer program product of claim 8, wherein detecting theindication of automation further comprises: program instructions toanalyze the user's email metadata to detect a received email message notexplicitly addressed to the user, wherein the received email message notexplicitly addressed to the user is received by one or more other users;program instructions to identify the one or more other users as amailing list; and program instructions to add the identified one or moreother users to a group of mailing lists.
 11. The computer programproduct of claim 8, wherein the user's email metadata consists of:information within a “To” field of one or more email messages,information within a “From” field, of the one or more email messages,information within a “CC” field, of the one or more email messages,information within a “BCC” field, of the one or more email messages, andinformation within a “Date” field, of the one or more email messages.12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the action to beperformed in response to the identified email messages comprises anelement from the group consisting of: program instructions to move oneor more of the identified email messages to a specified email folder,program instructions to mark as read one or more of the identified emailmessages, program instructions to delete one or more of the identifiedemail messages, and program instructions to filter out one or more ofthe identified email messages.
 13. The computer program product of claim10, further comprising: program instructions to determine whether theone or more other users in the group of mailing lists has sent emailmessages to the user; and based on determining that the one or moreother users in the group mailing lists has sent email messages to theuser, program instructions to remove the one or more other users fromthe group of mailing lists.
 14. The computer program product of claim 8,further comprising: program instructions to provide a visual indicationto the user for identified email messages, wherein the visual indicationfor identified email messages is different from a visual indication forunidentified email messages.
 15. A computer system for detecting emailmessages sent from an automated mailing system, the computer systemcomprising: one or more processors, one or more computer-readablememories, one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices, andprogram instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storagedevices for execution by at least of the one or more processors via atleast one of the one or more memories, the program instructionscomprising: program instructions to analyze email metadata of a user todetect an indication of automation; program instructions to identifyemail messages sent corresponding to the detected indication ofautomation; and program instructions to perform an action in response tothe identified email messages.
 16. The computer system of claim 15,wherein detecting the indication of automation further comprises:program instructions to analyze the user's email metadata to detect ausage pattern of a sender of email messages, wherein the sender of emailmessages sends a threshold number of email messages to the user, withina period of time, without receiving a threshold number of emailmessages; and program instructions to identify the sender of emailmessages as a mail-bot in response to the detected usage pattern. 17.The computer system of claim 15, wherein detecting the indication ofautomation further comprises: program instructions to analyze the user'semail metadata to detect a received email message not explicitlyaddressed to the user, wherein the received email message not explicitlyaddressed to the user is received by one or more other users; programinstructions to identify the one or more other users as a mailing list;and program instructions to add the identified one or more other usersto a group of mailing lists.
 18. The computer system of claim 15,wherein the user's email metadata consists of: information within a “To”field of one or more email messages, information within a “From” field,of the one or more email messages, information within a “CC” field, ofthe one or more email messages, information within a “BCC” field, of theone or more email messages, and information within a “Date” field, ofthe one or more email messages.
 19. The computer system of claim 15,wherein the action to be performed in response to the identified emailmessages comprises an element from the group consisting of: programinstructions to move one or more of the identified email messages to aspecified email folder, program instructions to mark as read one or moreof the identified email messages, program instructions to delete one ormore of the identified email messages, and program instructions tofilter out one or more of the identified email messages.
 20. Thecomputer system of claim 17, further comprising: program instructions todetermine whether the one or more other users in the group of mailinglists has sent email messages to the user; and based on determining thatthe one or more other users in the group mailing lists has sent emailmessages to the user, program instructions to remove the one or moreother users from the group of mailing lists.